Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Pipevines on the Prairie

Some of the eggs were laid a few days earlier and tiny caterpillars are beginning to eat the pipevine leaves. Some people would be going for the insecticide to kill the caterpillars, but not me. I am not concerned about the caterpillars eating the leaves because I planted the pipevine as host plant (food source) for pipevine swallowtail caterpillars.

Woolly pipevine is also known as woolly Dutchman's pipe because of the hairy appearance of the vine's leaves and stems and the pipe shape of the flowers. Plants of the Aristolochia family are the sole food source for pipevine swallowtail caterpillars.

5 comments:

i am glad to see the eggs of this butterfly. I usually try to check before i remove but I did get rid of some caterpillars the other day because they looked like web worms. Hope I wasn't wrong. I adore your header picture. Oh that II could get my septic field to look like that.

Lovely! Just wanted to say I just found your blog and am loving it! Then again, anyone who has the alias Bluestem gets an instant bonus! I'm totally jealous of your front yard...it looks so full and vibrant...how long ago did you plant it?

Lancashire rose, I think your gardens are beautiful. I read your blog regularly. Good luck with your septic field. My prairie does not have the wildlife issues you have outside the walls of your garden. Voracious cottontails and dog walkers that allow their dogs to water and walk on my plants are about the only wildlife I see. Have you tried the Engelmann daisy you are removing from your rock garden in your septic field? Their deep tap roots may help them survive.

Thanks Scott. I have been lurking around your garden blog for a year or so. You have done so much with your small front yard. It looks great! I removed the grass and started planting the front yard (prairie) about two and a half years ago. It is starting to fill in nicely. Little bluestem is a favorite grass and the foundation of the front yard prairie. I finally got some big bluestem this year and I am looking forward to seeing it grow.